France (Empire: Total War)

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France has had fifty years of military and administrative excellence under Louis XIV, the Sun King and his servants. They achieved this in spite of a backdrop of strife and rebellion sparked by France’s involvement in the Thirty Years War. Louis and his able ministers, Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin, were able to steer France away from the feudal struggles that hampered growth, and they created a centralised government where the King’s power is absolute. In 1700, France is the pre-eminent power in Western Europe, with an unrivalled army, vast colonies and a King who is respected and feared by all, both at home and abroad. Few nations pose any real threat to his well-equipped armies and heavily fortified borders.

The French Bourbon dynasty is strong, even though Louis XIV is aging. There are sons and relations aplenty, with legitimate claims to many titles. To the south, the lack of a Hapsburg heir in Spain – and the feeble-mindedness of Charles II – means that a Bourbon could one day rule in Madrid. A course of action that brings this about has much to recommend it. Of course, not all offshoots of the Hapsburg line are weak as their Spanish cousins. The Austrian Habsburgs, and other European nations, may not be entirely willing to see a Frenchman or French nominee as King of Spain. No matter.

France is surrounded by possibilities, and beyond Europe there are other continents to conquer and colonise: New France in North America, and the riches of India. The untrustworthy British may have to be swept aside or crushed, but what is wrong with that?

Capture and hold 20 regions by the end of the year 1750, including: New France, Corsica, New York, Confederation of New England, Leeward Islands, Pennsylvania, Cherokee Territory, Savoy, Algonquin Territory, Liguria, Michigan Territory, and France.

France has some of the best line infantry in the game, complemented by a substantial pool of excellent elite infantry. They have a varied light infantry roster, although none of them are remarkable in their abilities.

France's cavalry have several flaws: they cannot train the normally-ubiquitous Regiment of Horse nor Light Dragoons, instead utilizing lance-based Chevaux-légers and numerically inferior Carabineers, respectively. Their roster is very unusual compared to most European powers, but is unremarkable in terms of capabilities.

France's ships generally have stronger hulls, higher speed, and fire with better accuracy than that of other navies, and has full access to the European roster of ships (though they have no unique ships). On the other hand, they're also usually more expensive to build and maintain. France's navy at the beginning of the Grand Campaign is rivalled only by those of Great Britain and Spain.

France starts off with an unusually powerful army in Europe, and with one of the best starting navies. It tends to have a large lead in the beginning, with the highest starting National Prestige—although this tends to wane due to France's limited number of regions. Geographically, France is relatively secure; it is bordered by its loyal Spanish ally in the south and the troublesome but weak Savoy, while the German states in the East aren't very strong initially. The United Provinces to the north-east could potentially prove troublesome, but won't be if their threat is snuffed out early.

France has a less rosy outlook initially in the Americas, with a somewhat weaker presence than that of Spain and Great Britain. However, unlike its rivals, France has access to a major city in Upper Canada from the beginning, allowing it to access a larger range of units should it choose to build up there.